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Port deal to keep Chilean fruit coming through Wilmington

Delaware Public Media

The Port of Wilmington has reached a new agreement that will allow continued passage of Chilean fruits through northern Delaware.

The Diamond State Port Corporation announced a new five-year deal with Trans Global Shipping NV late last week. The last long term deal was a three-year contract that ended in 2014.

“It’s good to get a longer term deal in place because it gives us more certainty and gives our customers more certainty as well," said Delaware Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock, who also serves as chairman of the Diamond State Corporation. "[It] allows us to make investments with the assurance that we will have customers to utilize those investments.”

Bullock says industry changes helped forge this deal and adds that Trans Global was also encouraged by millions of dollars invested in port-related upgrades, including dredging the main Delaware River shipping channel to 45 feet deep to accommodate larger ships.

“We’ve had a very fruitful, no pun intended, few years at the port where we’ve seen a lot of growth, but we’re going to need to make investments and we’re going to need it to expand if we want that to continue,” said Bullock.

The Port of Wilmington will not disclose the financial terms of the deal.

The last long term deal with Trans Global Shipping was a three-year contract that ended in 2014.

A variety of fruits, mainly grapes, have been shipped from Chile to the Port of Wilmington since 1994. The products are stored in one of the largest refrigerated warehouse complexes in North America.

Last year, the Port handled over 18,650,000 boxes of Chilean Fruit, a 10 percent increase over the previous season. The trade helps generate $54 million in business revenue and $5 million in tax revenue for the state and region.

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